A class runs water down a stream table three times, raising the slope each time. The flow of water and the kind of sand stay the same, and the class weighs the sand washed away. Which is the responding variable?The answer rests on the text printed in the question and on the wording of the objective (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 001 (conducting scientific research).
A county planner layers maps of soil type, slope and flood history on one screen to find land at risk of landslides. Which tool is the planner using?Wikipedia, Geographic information system (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 002 (materials, methods and equipment).
A hiker compares two sides of a ridge on a topographic map. Contour lines crowd together on the north side and spread wide on the south side. Which reading is correct?Wikipedia, Contour line (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 002 (materials, methods and equipment).
Show all 50 questions (47 more)
Foundations of scientific inquiry, continued
A teacher plans to drop dilute hydrochloric acid on rock samples to test for carbonate. Which document lists the acid's hazards and its first-aid measures?Wikipedia, Safety data sheet (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 002 (materials, methods and equipment).
Alfred Wegener gathered matching fossils, rock types and coastlines as evidence that continents had moved. Why did most geologists of his day still reject the idea?U.S. Geological Survey, This Dynamic Earth: Historical perspective (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 003 (the nature and history of scientific thought).
As Arctic sea ice melts, darker ocean water absorbs more sunlight, the water warms, and more ice melts. Which systems idea does this chain show?Wikipedia, Ice-albedo feedback (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 005 (links among the sciences, mathematics and technology).
Fertilizer washes off hundreds of farm fields and lawns into a river after each storm. What kind of pollution is this?NOAA National Ocean Service, What is the biggest source of pollution in the ocean? (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 004 (earth/space science and society).
James Hutton argued that slow processes seen today, such as erosion and deposition, also shaped the rocks of the distant past. What is this principle called?Wikipedia, Uniformitarianism (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 003 (the nature and history of scientific thought).
On a topographic map, two points on a trail are 2 kilometers apart. One sits on the 300-meter contour and the other on the 420-meter contour. What is the average gradient between them?The answer rests on the text printed in the question and on the wording of the objective (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 002 (materials, methods and equipment).
Rain in a region downwind of coal-burning power plants has a pH well below that of normal rain. Which pair of emissions is the main cause?U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, What is Acid Rain? (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 004 (earth/space science and society).
Physical and historical geology 10
A classroom chart sorts energy sources into renewable and nonrenewable columns. Which source belongs in the nonrenewable column beside coal and natural gas?U.S. Energy Information Administration, Energy explained: Sources of energy (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 010 (geologic resources and human activity).
A fault cuts through three sedimentary layers but not through the layer of sandstone above them. What can be said about the fault?Wikipedia, Cross-cutting relationships (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 009 (the geologic time scale and dating).
A landscape has sinkholes, streams that vanish underground, caves and large springs. Which process made it?National Park Service, Karst Landscapes (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 008 (weathering, erosion and deposition).
A mineral grain formed with a radioactive isotope whose half-life is 700 million years. Today the grain holds one quarter of the parent isotope it started with. How old is the grain?The answer rests on the text printed in the question and on the wording of the objective (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 009 (the geologic time scale and dating).
A shale bed is buried deep in a mountain belt. Heat and pressure make its minerals recrystallize, but the rock never melts. What kind of rock forms?U.S. Geological Survey, What are metamorphic rocks? (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 006 (the structure and processes of the earth).
Bands of ocean-floor rock with alternating magnetic polarity lie in matching order on either side of a mid-ocean ridge. What do the bands show?U.S. Geological Survey, This Dynamic Earth: Developing the theory (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 006 (the structure and processes of the earth).
The Hawaiian islands grow steadily older from the Big Island toward the northwest. Which explanation fits this pattern?U.S. Geological Survey, This Dynamic Earth: "Hotspots": Mantle thermal plumes (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 007 (volcanism and earthquakes).
Two towns feel the same earthquake. The one near the epicenter reports collapsed chimneys, and the distant one reports rattling dishes. Which scale records this difference?Wikipedia, Modified Mercalli intensity scale (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 007 (volcanism and earthquakes).
Which finding about earthquake waves shows that part of the earth's core is molten?Wikipedia, S wave (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 006 (the structure and processes of the earth).
Which statement best explains how the basins of the Great Lakes took their present form?Wikipedia, Great Lakes (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 008 (weathering, erosion and deposition).
Oceanography and freshwater systems 10
A pond receives runoff rich in phosphorus and nitrogen. Algae bloom, die and decay, and fish begin to die. What is the direct cause of the fish kill?NOAA National Ocean Service, What is a dead zone? (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 014 (freshwater systems).
A well is drilled through a clay layer into a sandstone aquifer beneath it. Water rises in the well far above the top of the sandstone without a pump. What kind of aquifer is this?Wikipedia, Artesian well (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 013 (groundwater).
A wooded watershed is cleared and covered with roads, roofs and parking lots. What happens to the water from a heavy rain?Wikipedia, Impervious surface (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 013 (groundwater).
About how much of the earth's fresh water is liquid at the surface, in lakes and rivers?Wikipedia, Water distribution on Earth (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 012 (freshwater and the hydrologic cycle).
By which route does water leaving Lake Huron reach Lake Erie?Wikipedia, Great Lakes (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 012 (freshwater and the hydrologic cycle).
Cold, salty water is dense and sinks to the bottom of the ocean, which sets deep currents in motion. What are currents driven this way called?NOAA National Ocean Service, What is the global ocean conveyor belt? (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 011 (the marine system).
In summer a deep Michigan lake has warm water on top, cold water at the bottom, and a thin middle layer where temperature drops sharply with depth. What is the middle layer called?Wikipedia, Lake stratification (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 014 (freshwater systems).
On a sunny spring day the beach sand near a large lake warms quickly while the lake water stays cold. Which property of water explains this?Wikipedia, Properties of water (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 012 (freshwater and the hydrologic cycle).
Which two ions make up most of the dissolved salt in seawater?NOAA National Ocean Service, Why is the ocean salty? (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 011 (the marine system).
Zebra mussels are not native to North America, yet they now clog water intakes around the Great Lakes. How are they thought to have arrived?Wikipedia, Zebra mussel (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 015 (the hydrosphere and human activity).
Meteorology 10
A large high-pressure system settles over Michigan. Which conditions are most likely?Wikipedia, Anticyclone (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 018 (the causes of weather).
Air flowing from a high-pressure area toward a low-pressure area in the Northern Hemisphere does not travel in a straight line. Which way does the earth's rotation turn it?NOAA National Ocean Service, The Coriolis Effect (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 016 (the atmosphere, weather and climate processes).
Air that is saturated with water vapor may still form no cloud droplets. What else is needed for the vapor to condense?Wikipedia, Cloud condensation nuclei (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 017 (clouds, precipitation and condensation).
In early winter, towns on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan get heavy snow while towns on the western shore stay clear. What sets up this pattern?National Weather Service, What is Lake Effect Snow? (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 018 (the causes of weather).
Milankovitch linked the timing of ice ages to slow, regular changes in which three features?NASA Science, Milankovitch (Orbital) Cycles and Their Role in Earth's Climate (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 019 (climate systems).
The ozone layer warms one layer of the atmosphere so that temperature there increases with height. Which layer is it?NOAA JetStream, Layers of the Atmosphere (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 016 (the atmosphere, weather and climate processes).
Ozone near the ground is a main part of summer smog. How does it form?U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Ground-level Ozone Basics (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 020 (the atmosphere and human activity).
Snow melts into rain as it falls through a warm layer of air. The rain then meets a thin layer of freezing air at the ground and coats roads and wires with ice on contact. What is this precipitation?NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory, Severe Weather 101: Winter Weather Types (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 017 (clouds, precipitation and condensation).
Which change in the tropical Pacific marks an El Niño?NOAA National Ocean Service, What are El Niño and La Niña? (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 019 (climate systems).
Why are ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica so useful for studying past climate?Wikipedia, Ice core (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 020 (the atmosphere and human activity).
Astronomy 10
A comet follows a long elliptical orbit around the sun. By Kepler's second law, where does it move fastest?NASA Science, Orbits and Kepler's Laws (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 022 (the solar system).
A lunar eclipse can happen only at full moon. Why?NASA Science, Eclipses: Types of Solar and Lunar Eclipses (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 021 (the sun-earth-moon system).
A sensitive radio telescope aimed at the dark sky between the stars still picks up a faint, almost uniform glow. What is the source?Wikipedia, Cosmic microwave background (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 023 (stellar evolution and the universe).
At which two phases of the moon do the highest high tides and lowest low tides of the month occur?NOAA National Ocean Service, What are spring and neap tides? (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 021 (the sun-earth-moon system).
In the current account of how the solar system formed, what was the solar nebula?NASA Science, Solar System: Facts (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 022 (the solar system).
Over several weeks Mars appears to stop its eastward drift against the stars, move westward, then turn east again. What causes this?Wikipedia, Apparent retrograde motion (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 022 (the solar system).
Perihelion, the earth's closest approach to the sun, falls in January. What does this show about the seasons?NASA Space Place, What Causes the Seasons? (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 021 (the sun-earth-moon system).
Two stars look equally bright in the night sky, but one is ten times farther away. Which quantity would show that the distant star gives off more light?Wikipedia, Absolute magnitude (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 023 (stellar evolution and the universe).
What is left at the center after a star with about the mass of the sun swells into a red giant and sheds its outer layers?NASA Science, Stars (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 023 (stellar evolution and the universe).
Which telescope discovery of Galileo's showed that not every body in the sky circles the earth?Wikipedia, Galilean moons (read 2026-10-13). Outline: MTTC Earth/Space Science (020) test objectives, objective 024 (the history of astronomy).
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the test objectives of the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) field 020, Earth/Space Science, as the MTTC site prints them (https://www.mttc.nesinc.com/Content/STUDYGUIDE/MI_SG_obj_020.htm and the test page https://www.mttc.nesinc.com/TestView.aspx?f=HTML_FRAG/MI020_TestPage.html, read 2026-10-13): Foundations of scientific inquiry, 20%; Physical and historical geology, 20%; Oceanography and freshwater systems, 20%; Meteorology, 20%; Astronomy, 20%; 100 multiple-choice questions, 2 hours 30 minutes of testing time, passing score 220. This bank holds 50 questions, spread 10, 10, 10, 10, 10 over those subareas. Every fact was read on 2026-10-13 in the public page named under its question: the U.S. Geological Survey (This Dynamic Earth and its page on metamorphic rocks), NOAA (the National Ocean Service, JetStream, the National Severe Storms Laboratory and the National Weather Service), NASA (NASA Science and Space Place), the Environmental Protection Agency, the Energy Information Administration, the National Park Service, and the Wikipedia article named for each remaining question. 3 questions rest on the numbers or the set-up printed in the question and on the wording of the objective. Licence: Questions, passages, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
This free MTTC Earth Space Science practice test has 50 questions of our own for Earth/Space Science, field 020, with a timed exam. The page is unofficial and is not affiliated with the Michigan Department of Education or Pearson.
Read the full guide
What field 020 covers
By the test objectives read October 13, 2026, five subareas carry 20% each: foundations of scientific inquiry, physical and historical geology, oceanography and freshwater systems, meteorology, and astronomy. This bank holds 10 questions on each. The timed exam draws all 50 for 75 minutes, the pace of the real test.
The Great Lakes in the questions
Five objectives name the Great Lakes. This bank asks how ice sheets made their basins, how water passes from Lake Huron to Lake Erie, how zebra mussels arrived, and why the eastern shore of Lake Michigan gets lake-effect snow.
Where the answers come from
Each explanation names its page: the U.S. Geological Survey, NOAA, NASA, the Environmental Protection Agency, another agency or a named Wikipedia article. Three rest on what the question itself prints.
The inquiry subarea asks about experimental design, lab and field safety, map reading and the history of science, not earth science content.
Objective 019 asks for the phases of El Niño and their effects on global weather, so learn El Niño and La Niña together.
Questions and answers
How many questions are on the MTTC Earth/Space Science test?
One hundred multiple-choice questions, taken on a computer. The test page gives 2 hours 30 minutes of testing time inside an appointment of 2 hours 45 minutes; the other 15 minutes are a tutorial and a nondisclosure agreement.
What is the passing score for MTTC Earth/Space Science?
220, on a scale from 100 to 300. The Michigan Department of Education sets it. Scores are released within six weeks of testing, and a numeric total is reported only to examinees who do not pass.
Is MTTC Earth/Space Science the same test as Geology/Earth Science?
Yes. The test page for field 020 notes that the test was formerly called Geology/Earth Science. It lists endorsement codes DH and IH.